4,4-bis(alkoxycarbonyl)benzoin ethers

ABSTRACT

WITH A CYANIDE CATALYST TO FORM 4,4&#39;&#39;-BIS(ALKOXYCARBONYL)BENZOINS OF THE FORMULA   AND BY REACTING SUCH 4,4&#39;&#39;-BIS(ALKOXYCARBONYL)BENZOINS WITH AN ALCOHOL OF THE FORMULA R1OH to form a 4,4&#39;&#39;bis(alkoxycarbonyl)benzoin ether of the foregoing formula. Each of R and R1 are straight or branched chain alkyl of one to 10 carbon atoms. Disclosed are certain novel 4,4&#39;&#39;-bis(alkoxycarbonyl)benzoin ethers which have the formula   AND WHICH ARE USEFUL AS PHOTOINITIATORS OF POLYMERIZATION, E.G., IN THE FORMATION OF COATINGS AND THIN FILMS. The novel 4,4&#39;&#39;bis(alkoxycarbonyl)-benzoin ethers are prepared by contacting aldehydes of the formula

United States" Patent- 1 Kelly etal.

111 3,728,377 51 Apr. 17, 1973 I 4,4-BIS(ALKOXYCARBONYL)BENZOIN ETHERS [75]- lnveritors: Charles A. Kelly; James G. Pacifici, both of Kingsport, Tenn.

[73] Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY.

[22] Filed: June 5, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 260,702

[52] U.S. Cl. ..260/473 R, 204/159.23 [51] Int. ..C07c 69/78 [58] Field of Search ..260/520, 473 R [56] g References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,448,828 9/1948 Renfrew .L ..204/l62 Primary Examinerl ,orraine A. Weinberger Assistant Examiner lohn F. Terapane AttorneyCeci1 D. Quillen, Jr. et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT Disclosed are certain novel 4,4'-bia( alkoxycarbonyl )benzoin ethers which have the formula 0 0 OR Q. o Roii .-b#on*. ii0R i=0 b=o and which are useful as photoinitiatora of polymerization, e.g., in the formation of coatings and thin films. The novel 4,4'-bis(a1koxycarb onyl)-benzoin ethers are prepared by contacting aldehydes of the formula =0 with a cyanide catalyst to form 4,4bis(alkoxycarbonyl)benzoins of the formula and by reacting such 4,4'-bis(alkoxycarbonyl)benzoins with an alcohol of the formula R'Ol-l to form a 4,4'-bis(alkoxycarbonyl)benzoin ether of the foregoing formula. Each of R and R are straight or branched chain alkyl of one to 10 carbon atoms.

6 Claims, No Drawinga 4,4-BIS(ALKOXYCARBONYL)BENZOIN ETHERS This invention relates to certain novel chemical compounds and to a process for their preparation. The novel compounds of our invention are 4,4-bis(alkoxycarbonyl)benzoin ethers which have the formula 0 ROH7.% Q-iiH o=o in which R is as defined hereinbefore in a two-step process which comprises contacting at least one al dehyde of the foregoing formula with a cyanide catalyst to form at least one 4,4"-bis( alkoxycarbonyl)benzoin of the formula y1)benzoin with an alcohol of the formula ROH wherein R is as defined above to obtain at least one 4,4-bis(alkoxycarbonyl)benzoin ether of the formula i i i Rob-0 g o-on-g -0011 7 o=o 0 0 Aldehydes according to the formula ll ll R0 co 0-011 which are useful in the process of our invention include methyl p-formylbenzoate, ethyl p-formylbenzoate, propyl p-formylbenzoate, butyl p-formylbenzoate, pentyl p-formylbenzoate, hexyl p-formylbenzoate, heptyl p-formylbenzoate, octyl p-formylbenzoate, nonyl p-formylbenzoate, decyl p-formylbenzoate, etc. Preferred among these aldehydes are those in which the substituent R is lower alkyl of 1-4 carbon atoms, e.g., methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, isobutyl.

In the first step of the process of our invention one or more aldehydes of the formula are'contacted with a cyanide catalyst to form at least one compound of the formula o 9- Q 0 011 0-0 0 ltOiL-Q o A k-CH gJion 1n the event two or more different aldehydes are contacted with the cyanide catalysts, then three or more different compounds of the formula 0 Q- o 011 1tO(B--Q L( 31 I-.

0:. will be obtained. For example, when a mixture of methyl p-formylbenzoate and ethyl p-formylbenzoate are contacted with a cyanide catalyst the resulting products are 4,4-bis(methoxycarbonyl)benzoin, 4,4- bis(ethoxy-carbonyl)benzoin, and 4-ethoxycarbonyl-4 -methoxycarbonylbenzoin.

The contacting of the aldehyde with the cyanide catalyst is preferably carried out in the liquid phase in a solvent. Preferred solvents are the lower alcohols, e.g., alcohols having one to four carbon atoms with methanol and ethanol being especially preferred as reaction solvents. The reaction is typically carried out in the liquid phase, i.e., at a temperature between the freezing point and boiling point of the'reactions solventfln one preferred technique, the aldehyde is first contacted with the cyanide catalyst at a comparatively low temperature, e.g., about 5C and the reaction mixture is subsequently heated under reflux. In another technique the aldehyde is contacted with the cyanide catalyst at ambient temperature, e.g., about 20C, and the reaction mixture is allowed to stand until the reaction is completed. in a technique which is especially useful in operations on a commercial scale, a solution of the aldehyde, e.g., an alcoholic solution thereof, is mixed with an alcoholic solution of the cyanide catalyst. The rate of mixing of the two solutions is controlled so as to prevent an excessively high rise in temperature on account of the. exothermic nature of the reaction which occurs.

Cyanide catalysts which are useful in the first step of the process of our invention are those which heretofore v In the second step of the process of our invention, a 4,4-bis(alkoxycarbonyl)benz0in is reacted with an alcohol to form a 4,4'-bis( alkoxycarbonyl)benzoin ether. The 4,4'-bis(alkoxycarbonyl)benzoins which are useful are those obtained in accordance with the first step of the process of our invention, i.e., those in which the alkoxy groups are the same or different and contain one to 10 and preferably one to four carbon atoms. The alcohols which are useful in the second step of the process of our invention are those monohydric, straight or branched chain, primary, secondary or tertiary alcohols which contain one to 10, preferably one to four carbon atoms. Typical of the alcohols which are preferred for use in the second step of the process of our invention are methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, butanol, isobutanol, sec-butanol, and tertbutanol.

' include Q The second step of the process of our invention is the reaction medium. The reaction is carried out with the aid of a strong acid which functions as a dehydratingagent. Typical of the strong acids which are useful hydrochloric acid (including hydrogen chloride), sulfuric acid, p-toluene sulfonic acid, chlorosulfonicv acid, etc. The amount of acid used should be sufficient to insure that the reaction achieves the desired degree of completion.

carried reaction between a 4,4"-bis(alkoxycarbonyl)benzoin andthe alcohol to form a 4,4-bis(alkoxycarbonyDbenzoinether typically is carrier out at a temperature between ambient temperature and thereflux temperature of the reaction mixture. However, higher or lower temperaturescan. be employed if desired. If desired, the reaction can be carried out in such a way that the water of reaction is removed as it is formed, e.g., by usinga Dean-Stark trap and xylene as a water entrainer.

Ester interchange between the alcohol and the alkoxy 'group of the alkoxy carbonyl substituent of the 4,4-

. bis(a lkoxycarbonyl)benzoin can be accomplished by conducting the second step of the process of our invention under more severe reaction conditions, e.g., at the refluxing temperature of the reaction mixture. lf ester interchange is to be avoided, milder reaction conditions, e.g., ambient temperature,'can be employed.

The-following examples illustrate the preparation of compounds according to our'invention.

' A stirred'solution of 164 g. (1.0 mole) of distilled methyl p-formylbenzoate in 500 ml. of methanol is cooled to C. and 5.0g. of potassium cyanide is added. After stirring for min., the cooling bath is removed. The solution turned red and a solid precipitates. An additional 300 ml. of methanol is added to facilitate stir- -l4ll4 3C. Anal. Calcd. for C H O C, 65.85; H, 4.9. Found: C, 65.4; H, 4.9.

A mixture of 10 g. (0.03 mole) of 4,4'-bis(methoxycarbonyl)'-benzoin in 50 ml. of ethanol ,is stirred and heated to reflux. Five grams of anhydrous hydrogen chloride is added over a period'of 10 min. and reflux is continued for 3hr. The ethanol is removed by a rotary evaporator and the residue dissolved in 50 ml. of

I benzene, washed with 40 ml. of water, 40 ml. of 5 per- .cent aqueoussodium carbonate solution and 40 ml. of water, and finally dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate.'The benzene is' removed by a rotary evaporator to give 11.0 g. (96 percent) of ethyl p -[oz-ethoxy-p- (ethoxy carbonyl)-benzene}carbonyl benzoate, hereinafter referred to as 4,4'-bis(ethoxycarbonyl) benzoin ethyl ether, as a light yellow, viscous oil.

' EXAM PLE2 To a solution of 300 g. of anhydrous HCl in 300 g, of

methanol is added with stirring 30 g. (0.09 mole) of 4,4-bis(methoxycarbonyl)benzoin prepared in accordance with Example 1A. The resulting slurry is stirred for 16 hr. at ambient temperature. A stream of nitrogen is passed through the mixture for 15 min. to remove HCl. The insoluble white solid present is removed by filtration and dried to give 6.5 'g., mp. 290C. This material was identified as the dimer of the desired product. Anal. Calcd. for c n o C, 66.7; H, 5.3; mol. wt., 684. Found: C, 66.2; H, 5.3; mol. wt. 670. The filtrate is evaporated to give 25 got a viscous, light yellow residue that solidifies on cooling. This material is recrystallized from methanol to g'ive23 g. (pe'rcent) of 4,4-bis(methoxyc arbonyl)benzoin methyl ether, m.p. of 878 8C.-'Anal. Calcd. for s,,H,,o',= C,

66.7; H, 5.3. Found: C, 66.3; H, 5.3.

.EXAMPLE 3 oo 0.1? 'oc II-C -*-.Z

To a slurry of 32.8 g. (0.1 mole) of 4,4'-bis(methoxycarbonyl)-benzoin in 200 g. of butanol at C. is added 21 g. of anhydrous l-lCl. The temperature rises to C. during the addition and a homogenous solution results. The reaction solution is stirred and heated at 953-98C. for 2% hr., and the'njcooled tor40C. and, washed with 150 ml. of 20 percent aqueousso'dium chloride solution, and then 100 ml; of water, and dried over magnesium sulfate. The excessbutanolis removed in vacuo to give 36g. (95 percent) 4;4-b'is(bu toxycarbonyl)benzoin butylether. The-n.m.r. spectrum confirms the identity of this material.

EXA PLE-4 A mixture of 10 g. (0.03 mole) of-4,4'-bis(methoxcent) of4,4f-bis(butoxycarbonyl)benzoinbutyl ether,

containing about 12 percent- 4,4'-bis(butoxycarbon- To a slurry of 30 g. (0.09 mole) of 4,4'-bis(methoxycarbonyl)-benzoin in 800 ml. of isopropanol is added dry' HCl at 45-50C. for 3 hr. The reaction solution is allowed to stand at 25C. for 16 hr. Nitrogen is passed into the solution to expel the HCl, and the remaining volatile materials. are removed in vacuo to leave -a.

viscous residue that crystallizes on cooling. Recrystallization from methanol gives 12 g. (37 percent) of 4,4- bis(methoxycarbonyl)benzoin isopropyl ether m.p.

A stirred slurry of 200 g. (0.61 mole) of 4,4'- bis(methoxycarbonyl)benzoin in 2,000 ml of absolute ethanol was heated to reflux. The heating mantle was removed and 600 g. (5.2 mole) of chlorosulfonic acid was'added dropwise over a period of 35 min. The reaction was exothermic and the addition was regulated so that a gentle reflux was maintained.- The mixture became homogeneous, and the solution was refluxed bis(ethoxycarbonyl)benzoin ethyl ether as a yellow viscous oil.

Our novel compounds are especially useful in the formation of a coatings from polymerizable unsaturated liquid materials. Coatings of this type are becoming especially important because their use minimizes atmospheric emissions since such coating materials need not contain volatile solvents.

Coating systems that may be cured using our novel photosensitizers are quite varied and include polymerizable unsaturated organic compounds and mixtures of such compounds. Some specific compounds that are preferred in such coating systems include acrylic, a-alkyl acrylic, and a-chloroacrylic acid compounds such asesters, amides and nitriles, e.g., acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, ethyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, isobutyl methacrylate, acrylamide, methacrylic acid, methyl a-chloroacryla te. Also included are vinyl and vinylidene esters, ethers, ketones,

e.g., vinyl acetate, vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride,

methyl vinyl ketone. In addition included are hydrocarbons such as styrene..ln addition, compounds having more than one terminal unsaturation can be used. These includerethylene glycol diacrylate, methacrylic anhydride, divinylbenzene. Unsaturated polyesters such as thos derived from unsaturated acid, e.g., fumaric and maleic acids, with glycols,'e.g., ethylene glycol,

"propylene glycol, neopentyl glycol, 1,4-butanediol.

used. The photosensitizer may be added immediately before exposure to the ultraviolet curing process or at any time prior to this. Coating compositions containing our novel photosensitizers show good storage stability and do not cause preliminary gelation in storage.

Compositions containing our photosensitizers may be polymerized or cured by irradiation with actinic light in the range of 250 to 500 nm.-Sources of such light include sunlight, mercury arcs and sunlamps. The rate of polymerization is dependent upon the intensity of the light and also upon the concentration of the photosensitizer.

The following Example illustrates the use of certain of the compounds of our invention as well as a compound disclosed in U. S. Pat. No. 2,448,828 as photoinitiators for film-forming compositions.

EXAMPLE 7 the distance from the arc is 6 cm. and the rate of passage is l ft./miri. Hardness of the cured coating is evaluated by'a standard penci'l hardness test National Coil Coaters Assoc., Practical Bulletin No. ll-l2); The results are as follows: 1

Compound Wt. Added, Hardness 1. None 1 v 68 2. Benzoin methyl ether (U.S. Pat.

No.'2,4'48,828) 0.5 1B 1.0 1H 3. 4,4'-

bis(-methoxycarbonyl)benzoin methyl ether 0.5 1H 1.0 2H

4. 4,4- bis(ethoxycarbonyl)benwin ethyl ether. 05 18 1.0 lit 5. 4,4'-bis(butoxycarbonyl) benzoin ether 0.5 18 1.0 11-] The novel compounds of our invention, because of their ability to absorb ultraviolet radiation, are useful as initiators of photopolymerization. Because they absorb such radiation at an unexpectedly high rate, the-compounds of our invention are capable of initiating polymerization of coatings and films at a faster cure rate than an equal quantity of prior art compounds which can be used for the same purpose. In the alternative a smaller quantity of one of our compounds canbe used to achieve a cure rate equal to that achieved by a larger quantity of prior art compound.

The following example compares the absorptivity of one of the compounds of our invention with the absorp- -tivity of one of the compounds described as a photopolym erization initiator in U.S. 'Pat. No. 2,448,828.

7. EXAMPLES The following values for A maxin methylene chloride are obtained from the ultraviolet spectra of the compounds set forth:

)tmaxmm. eM"CM Benzoin Methyl Ether 248 12,400 (U. S. 2,448,828) 280 1,000 330 286 4,4-bis(methoxycarbonyl) 25 22,620 benzoin methyl ether 280 6,600 3 3 5 4 l0 The compound of our invention demonstrated a greater absorptivity in the UV regions measured, indicating that it is a more effective absorber of the UV light used in the photocuring process.

The novel compounds of our invention, being diesters of dicarboxylic acids, are capable of being converted into polyesters by reaction with glycols such as ethylene glycol. Such polyesters j are useful as photoinitiators as described hereinbefore and are especially useful-in environments in which initiators of lower molecular weight might be fugitive, e.g., at high temperatures. The following examples illustrates the .manufacture of-such a polyester.

A stirred mixture of Oil g. titanium isopropoxide, 25 g. (0.065 mole) of 4,4-bis(ethoxycarbonyl)benzoin ethyl ether, and 8.0 g. (.13 mole) ofethylene glycol were combined in a 3-necked reaction flask equipped with a thermometer, 4" Vigreux'column and distillation head. The flask was placed inan oil bath and cations can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim: g l v l. 4,4'-bis( alkoxycarbonyl)benzoin ethers of the formula: i

0 .iLm/ 'Q-C OR in which the substituents R are the same or different and are straight or branched chain alkyl of l' to 10 carbons and the substituent R is straightor branched chain alkyl of l to 10 carbons.

2. Compounds according to Claim 1 in which each of the substituents' R and R is alkyl of l to 4 carbons.

3. The compound according to Claim 2 in which the compound is 4,4'-bis(methoxycarbonyl)benzoin methyl ether. i

4. he compound according to Claim 2 m which the compound is 4,4'-bis(ethoxycarbonyl)benzoin ethyl ether.

5. The compound according to Claim 2 in which the compound is 4,4'-bis(butoxycarbonyl)benzoin butyl ether.

6. The compound according to Claim 2 in which the 4,4'-bis(methoxycarbonybbenzoin compound is isopropyl ether. 

2. Compounds according to Claim 1 in which each of the substituents R and R1 is alkyl of 1 to 4 carbons.
 3. The compound according to Claim 2 in which the compound is 4, 4''-bis(methoxycarbonyl)benzoin methyl ether.
 4. The compound according to Claim 2 in which the compound is 4, 4''-bis(ethoxycarbonyl)benzoin ethyl ether.
 5. The compound according to Claim 2 in which the compound is 4, 4''-bis(butoxycarbonyl)benzoin butyl ether.
 6. The compound according to Claim 2 in which the compound is 4, 4''-bis(methoxycarbonyl)benzoin isopropyl ether. 